Punched firebrand may desert Congress

Author: B.V. Shiva Shankar Date: 24 Mar 2008
Benki Mahadevu, who recently came to blows with party colleague Siddaramaiah, is being wooed by BJP and JD(S)



Congress leader M Mahadevu, who was punched in public by party colleague Siddaramaiah recently, is dallying with the BJP and the JD(S).

Benki (fire) Mahadevu, so called as he spits fire in his public speeches, had cooled down considerably after he was defeated from Nanjanagud in the last elections.

He was further snubbed when Siddaramaiah, known to be his arch rival, was allowed into the Congress after he severed ties with Deve Gowda. The two leaders don’t get along even though they are in the same party.

Mahadevu had petitioned the high command against Siddaramaiah but nothing happened as the leader is in Sonia Gandhi’s good books. A miffed Mahadevu boycotted the Jananadolana rally organised in Mysore by Siddaramaiah last week. But the high command ignored his tantrums.

Mahadevu is a Lingayat, and could sway a good percentage of votes in the area. The BJP was the first to approach him. G T Deve Gowda, who recently joined the BJP after quitting the JD(S), has nearly convinced Mahadevu to join his party.

“I think he has made up his mind, and joining is just a formality,” said a BJP leader.
JD(S) boss Deve Gowda is also looking for a strong Lingayat leader to take on the BJP in Mysore. He believes Mahadevu is a good bet. He fixed an appointment with Mahadevu on Sunday.

When he came to know that Mahadevu was leaning towards the BJP, Gowda dropped the idea of meeting him, and tried to convince him over phone. A source said Kumaraswamy was expected to meet Mahadevu shortly.

Mahadevu told MiD DAY, “Yes, I am not happy with developments in the Congress. But I haven’t made up my mind about what to do.”